Inner Beasts
by With This Naked Truth
Summary: Continuation of the Maia Hale saga, from the stories 'Skin Deep' and 'Maia Hale: Revelations'. Life is continuing to change for Derek and Maia Hale, who have been lulled into a false sense of security with their pack. However, one of their own will change for the worst and attempt to bring them all down with him. Rated M for language, adult situations and intense violence. WTNT.
1. Chapter 1

**Inner Beasts**

**A Teen Wolf fanfiction**

We are what we create.

**Enjoy.**

* * *

_The heartbeat started at eighteen days, before there was ever a corporeal form, but following after the newly created soul. In the formless void, there were waters that sprung free from fertile ground which was the womb and a connection made between mother and child. Each passing day, hour, minute, second saw the contours of body and being as it was caressed into perfection by development's hand, the small fetus growing as if underneath its own volition._

_Its heart pumped with a passionate purpose._

_He wanted to live. _

_And so it was, the seed basking in warmth of both body and love, sheltered by the same two who had come together to help create it. Mother and father, husband and wife, lover and lover. Nurtured in the haven of heavens, the only home known to it, the woman whose voice was like a choir of angels. _

_His heartbeat was hers…_

She adjusted herself to try and help alleviate her discomfort, quickly being chastised by Derek. "Hey – hold still you. I'm having a moment here." Maia smirked from where she was propped up on her pillows, looking at her husband. He was laying alongside her body, his hand and ear pressed firmly to her stomach, the female reaching down to play with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Sorry. How's it going in there anyway, Derek," she asked before twisting to grab the spoon and half of cantaloupe sitting on the nightstand.

The Alpha male kissed her small, but prominently rounded belly before pulling down her tank top and propping himself up on an elbow, his eyes turning to look at her. Maia was dressed in only a shirt and boy shorts, her thick waves pulled into a messy knot at her crown in a way that made her look much younger than her twenty-five years. She was smiling faintly, just as wrapped around and pleased with the baby as he often was. "Well, you sound like a seashell in there with the way your heartbeats overlap and how your blood sounds rushing through your body. Kinda like the waves crashing inside of you: I can hear all the moving."

"Yeah, and I can feel it – if I'm not prepared for it, it can really freak me out. What felt like a series of somersaults caught Momma Bear off guard the other day when I was at the store with Kali…"

They shared a laugh before Derek rubbed her stomach, knowing that his mate liked the affectionate gesture. True to kind, she wolf-hummed, stretching out her toes as she lengthened her body in response to him.

His eye then caught the clock when it strayed from watching her eat, the male sighing, "You should go ahead and get some sleep, sweetheart. You've got work in the morning and when duty calls-"

"Derek, I'm busy incubating right now. Give me a break and let me eat this cantaloupe in peace – I'll sleep when I'm dead," Maia replied disobediently, knowing that he would back down at the mere thought of what was growing inside of her. He did what he could to keep from upsetting her so as to keep her happy and comfortable, which she had been thus far into her pregnancy.

"Seventeen weeks down, twenty-three left to go."

Maia looked at him with slightly narrowed eyes, knowing that for him the next few months wouldn't be nearly as difficult as her own, "You say that as if its going to be a cake walk from here on out."

He scoffed and got out of the bed to take off his sweats before he went to sleep, feeling her eyes on him. "Yeah, no. Nothing is ever a 'cake walk' with you – your last name is Hale, remember that," Derek retorted with a grin, walking back to his side of the bed. She couldn't help how her eyes roamed his nakedness, Maia setting down the leftovers of her late night snack and licking the juice from her sticky fingers. "How could I ever forget it? I have your body in my bed, your blood in my veins and your bloodline in my womb: baby, being a Hale is as much a part of me as my wolf is." Derek chucked once before letting his head hit his pillow, seeing her scrolling through her iPhone intently.

"So what's in the docket for tomorrow?"

She sighed and reached up to scratch the back of her neck, seeming strangely evasive. "I have two board meetings in the morning, a committee proposal presentation, an interview… uh, business over lunch, review and decisions on policy. Busy day, but it should go quickly," Maia murmured as she set her phone down to charge and moved to turn off the lamp.

"Lunch with who? You hardly ever take a lunch break as is and you only do so when its one of the pack."

"I'm having lunch with Scott, babe," she replied, her voice quiet as her hand stilled on the lamp.

The two of them looked at each other, Derek's eyes narrowed as he searched her face. There hadn't been much contact between the youngest pack members aside from whenever Maia needed to talk to them – other than that, they kept to themselves and the pack let them be, on their leader's orders, of course. "He just called me a few days ago and asked me if I wanted to have lunch with him downtown. It did come out of the blue after he asked me to respect his privacy, but I guess he's getting bored with summer school and all that other teenage angst. I'm not complaining though, I kind of missed the dweeb." Derek sighed and bunched his pillow up on his bicep, thinking about the other lone wolf in his pack.

"What are we going to do about Jackson," he questioned almost innocently, as if he did not know the laws and protocol. Jackson's father had not been happy about the events of the past few months, especially the whole practically-unexplainable situation with his death and was now sending the young teen to London to keep him from running with what he considered a bad crowd. "Don't think its fair for him to be punished for something he can't control."

Maia turned to look at him, her eyes searching his face, "We'll discuss our options with the others over dinner… After all, he is my fledgling too, Derek and despite my shitty way of showing it, I love all of the wolves in my life. Even if they want to leave me."

"Whoa! Was that a personal jab, babe?"

She smiled at his slightly offended tone as he chided her and pulled the lamp string, plunging the room into shifting degrees of darkness. "Of course it was. I hope you didn't think my being with child would soften me up," his wife remarked, Derek rolling over and laughing quietly into the silence.

"Never – you're mean as shit and hard as nails. That's engrained in you," he replied as she threw her arm over his waist and snuggled into his back.

"What can I say? I'm one beast of a woman."

* * *

Scott looked down at his cell phone to check the time, looking around for Maia. They had agreed to meet at twelve for lunch at her favorite restaurant, and for as much as he knew about her, she was always prompt-

He turned back to take his glass of water and was startled to see her sitting before him, smiling as she took of her shades. "Jesus, Maia! You scared me- I thought you were running late," Scott said, hearing her laugh quietly. "Of course not, McCall. Just wanted to see that scared animal look you get on your face anytime you're with me," she replied, running a hand back through her hair before resting a hand on her stomach.

Maia didn't miss the look he gave her, the corners of her mouth curving up slightly, "Its not like my belly is going to bite you. Now myself, on the other hand…"

"Isn't it weird? Feeling something inside of you moving and growing, and having its presence take over your life?"

"I'm not sure this conversation is about mine being pregnant, more than it is about your wolf," Maia replied knowingly, pausing as the waitress came to greet her and get her order. When they were alone again, she inclined her head curiously towards him before moving her chair closer towards his and reaching out to take his hand. Scott didn't resist as she brought his hand to rest on the curve of her stomach, confused until he felt a small movement against his palm. It continued almost leisurely, the teen quiet as he felt a strange sense of bonding with the unborn wolf, hearing Maia chuckle. "It's pretty cool, isn't it? And the presence of a children in one's life does not mean that it is devoid of meaning or that the meaning has changed: its enhanced, Scott. The meaning in my life has become something much greater than myself or Derek, my pack even- I would die, a thousand times over, because I realize that being a mother is what makes me… me. Being a werewolf is what makes you… you, along with all the other things in your life that keeps you grounded and defines you."

He looked at her and swallowed, settling back in his seat as she continued to talk. "Don't get me wrong though sweetheart, I understand what its like, having no control over your future, having no say in your life. And it sucks… But you have to make a choice, to be bitter or better. And you're not going to do that moping around about Allison," Maia said, seeing how his eyes widened.

"Are you having me followed?"

She looked at him as their food came, startled by his question, "What, you think I'm having my pack trail you? No- I can smell it on you, though. Your sadness and how badly you're… grieving: what else would you be hurting over? That whole Allison statement was a hunch."

"What does sadness smell like," Scott asked as he picked up his fork and began to play in his pasta. She looked sad for a moment before tucking her hair behind her ears, sighing quietly. "Like the earth after it rains. Because rain is peaceful and cleansing, but there is no peace or end to the sadness we create ourselves. And so when people long for something, for long enough, they take on that essence." He watched as Maia began to cut up her food, unsure if his next statement would anger her, "I've never paid much attention to scent without needing a cause too. You smell like I do, sometimes."

"We all have things we're sad about, honey," Maia replied, the conversation lulling for a moment.

When she put down her fork and touched her temple, Scott looked at her nervously, seeing the look on her face. "What's the matter?" Maia rubbed her stomach as she inhaled deeply, seeming to try and calm the baby, "Full moon is coming and unfortunately, with every passing moon, the beasts inside of me get stronger. My wolf is driving me crazy…"

"Would it be okay if I started coming around more? With everything that happened with Jackson, I kinda got used to the whole… pack life. To you and the others; hell, even Stiles misses Derek," Scott said, the both of them laughing. She nodded and looked at her young pack mate, seeing how much the past few weeks had changed him. He seemed more confident in himself and his abilities- something she knew stemmed from his stint in summer school as he answered the challenge of getting life back on track. Scott had done good for himself as of late and she had no problem having him around, Maia reaching out for her seltzer water. "Scott, you don't ever have to ask to be with your family. When you're with us, you're home."

They continued lunch with small talk about the coming school year and her continued work as mayor, Scott interested with the new changes that were coming to Beacon Hills. When it was time to leave, she paid for their meal despite his insistence to do so, standing to crack her neck and shake off her discomfort. Maia smoothed down her sheath dress over her growing stomach, looking at the black Chrysler Three Hundred that pulled up to the curb.

Scott watched as she started walking towards the car, seeing a huge hulk of a man step around to grab the door. He was dressed in a nice suit that fit tightly over his arms, Scott sensing some familiarity with the stranger before him.

"Hey!"

Maia turned around with her clutch in her hand and jacket over her arm, almost looking like a model on a catwalk, curious as to why Scott wanted to say, "Yes?" He gestured to the car and smirked, thinking it strange that she would let herself be chauffeured around town. "Never pegged you for the whole bodyguard and bulletproof car kind of thing, Mai." She laughed and shook her head, moving towards the man.

"Trust me, I'm not that girl. However, Derek just insisted about me not being behind the wheel for the next few months and unfortunately for me, Ennis here agreed."

The young wolf was shocked that the huge man was in fact the same huge wolf that had steadily refused to shift back for everyday life, standing before him quietly as he looked at Maia almost lovingly. "You are going to be late for your meeting, love," Ennis said with the slight inflect of an accent, Scott almost embarrassed that he had thought him incapable of speech.

"Well, that's my cue then Scott. Come over for dinner tomorrow night: Derek's marinating about a hundred racks of ribs that are to die for. I'll save you a place," Maia said, handing Ennis her jacket before stepping into the car and immediately pulling out her cell phone. He closed the door for her and turned to Scott, Ennis smirking almost menacingly.

"See you tomorrow, pup."


	2. Chapter 2

"Maia, what did I say? Go sit down and stay off of your feet."

The Alphamega looked up at Kali with eyes narrowed, her arms submerged up to her elbows in dishwater as the pack prepared for the cookout, "I cannot just sit around when I am perfectly able to help out. Just because I am pregnant does not mean that I am incapable of doing anything for myself."

"And just because you are my Alpha does not mean that you scare me," Kali replied, taking a dish towel out of the drawer and handing it to her. "You'll go sit willingly, or I'll have Ennis take you upstairs and lock you in your room."

"You are insufferable."

Kali brushed her lips against Maia's with a smile as the mother-to-be moved to do as she said, taking her place at the sink.

She looked out of the window at everyone in the backyard, most of the younger pack members in and around the pool. Careful eyes scanned the faces there before she sighed, calling out for Ethan. He joined her and searched her face, seeing the severe expression, "What? What is it?"

"Where is Deucalion?"

"Out running an errand," the younger Alpha replied, moving to run a hand through his hair. "He told me to apologize to Maia about it, but it slipped my mind… Is that a problem?"

Kali began scrubbing the dishes furiously, glancing over her shoulder at Ethan, "It won't be if he gets his ass back here. Maia has had it up to here with the way he has been acting-"

"Can you blame him Kali?"

They were both quiet as she let the plates sink back into the water, bracing her hands on either side of the sink. "No, of course not. And believe me Ethan, I feel the same way but Deucalion knew- he knew what he was getting himself into with her. He knew that nothing aside from death would change the way things were and are now, and still, he put himself in that position. He set himself up for absolute failure!" Ethan snarled almost angrily, gesturing quietly to the bedroom where he could hear Maia moving around, forcing Kali to look at him, "Didn't we all? In a way, did we all not let her power and her love and her wolf draw us in? Maia brought us to our knees and put us at her absolute mercy and we just let her!"

"He made a choice- we all made choices we have to live with. Deucalion needs to pull himself together and deal with it because she made her choice too. And she chose Derek," Kali replied through her teeth, seeing the slightly wounded look in her brother's eyes. "But it is not just the fact that it is Derek: it's the fact that its not him. If it was anyone else, even myself, he would still be acting like this. So call him and tell him that he is expected to be here when we eat, or that things are going to get very ugly for him."

Maia came downstairs and moved to get the door after hearing a car coming up the driveway, expecting to see Scott. "Hey, thought you had decided to bail-" She paused as she looked at Jackson, the young man smirking quietly.

"I mean, I'll be on the next flight out of here but that's just semantics," he replied, looking at her and shrugging. "I got your text- can I come in?"

"Sure."

She stepped aside to let him into the house, Jackson looking around to take in his surroundings carefully. He paused in the foyer and turned to stare over his shoulder at Maia, seeing her dressed in a loose tank top and leggings with her hair pulled into a high ponytail. "I heard about your demon spawn from my dad- congrats. How's it going," Jackson questioned lightly, the older woman rolling her eyes as she scoffed.

"Still incubating," Maia replied as she led him through the house to the backyard.

Derek was manning the grill, seemingly undisturbed by the flames leaping towards his face as he turned the food over. He looked up as he caught Jackson's scent, the others seeming to do much of the same, "Well, look who it is, the black sheep of the family."

"Aren't you just sassy?"

Jackson smirked as he got a laugh out of Maia, the woman moving from his side to open the cooler. She tossed him a beer and urged him to relax and have a good time, "Drink that for me. In my condition, even standing on my own two feet is frowned upon and I'd rather not incur the wrath of the Alpha male for having a brew."

"I can't stay long: I have some unfinished business left to handle," Jackson replied, meeting the eyes of Boyd, Erica and Isaac as he felt their gazes fall on him. "Lydia? If so, you and Scott should get together, cry and watch chick flicks," Derek smirked joking, chuckling when his wife popped him in the shoulder. She moved to wrap her arms around his midsection, still talking to the newly returned wolf. "He's just being his usual sour wolf self, Jackson, though you shouldn't worry about him being punished for acting this way- I'll give him a good clawing for you later. But have your beer and go do what you need to do: it means a lot you even came."

"What the hell is this? A class reunion or a party?"

Stiles stood in the doorway beside Scott, the two of them grinning from ear to ear. They immediately gravitated towards the others, Maia reaching out to mess in Stiles hair as she pressed her lips against his best friend's cheek, "Welcome home sweetheart."

"Good to be back, Maia."

Derek was quiet as he talked to her, moving to throw the food onto the massive platters on the food table beside him. "You are insanely pleased with yourself, aren't you," he questioned, seeing her smile widely. "Oh hell yes- I got the band back together baby." He chuckled and bent down to kiss the apple of her cheek, Maia releasing him.

"I'm going to go and attempt to set the table if I can evade Kali for long enough. Get that food of the grill and come inside to wash up when you're done," Maia said, seeing his eyes on her backside as she turned.

"Love you."

She smiled and opened the sliding door, giving a tantalizing wiggle for his benefit, "You better."

Maia moved towards the dining room and sighed as she saw Kali already there, the knowing female having already set the table. "You are the most hardheaded woman I have ever met." She rolled her eyes and smoothed down her shirt, feeling the awe-inspiring movements underneath her fingertips.

"I don't have to go on maternity leave from sitting in an office until I'm twenty-six weeks- I think I can set a table and wash a few dishes without spontaneously going into labor, Kali," Maia replied sarcastically, moving to fill up the pitcher on the table with water.

Kali smirked and followed after her, reaching to take the pitcher from her, "For all of your intelligence Mrs. Hale, you seem to have no idea how much we all care- and worry- about you. Look at Derek: he refuses to let you out of his sight unless you're with Ennis or myself. And speaking of Ennis, he actually gave up living as a wolf to make sure you're taken care of. There is a lot more than just your happiness riding on this pregnancy, I'm afraid."

"I wish it wasn't like that."

The Alphamega heard the door open and moved to stick her head out into the foyer, her eyes landing on Deucalion. She stepped out, seeing the look on his face and reaching up to smooth the baby hairs at her hairline back. "Hey, you look like you could use a drink- I'll grab you a bottle of wine," Maia said, giving him an unspoken command to follow her.

She turned to look at him clasping her hands together and pressing her knuckles to her lips before sighing. "It has been almost two months Deucalion- in the beginning, I understood, I did. A lot of things changed for me too when I found out that I was pregnant and I realized that I couldn't be the same person that I was before. That meant letting go of a lot of anger, stepping back from my problems with Derek and allowing my other relationships to settle. You needed time and I knew that: I gave you that. And now I need you to accept that the way things were, that the way we were… is not the way that we're going to be now."

"Do you not remember that very first night we laid together, when you told me about everything: who you were, where you had come from, what you had been through? We bonded that night, body, mind and spirit Maia- you said that. And you promised me that you would rid yourself of the mate bond, kill Derek Hale, and bind yourself to me," Deucalion replied furiously, baring his teeth at her.

"I was angry then, a vengeful, wounded animal. And I'll admit that just as soon as I would admit that up until very recently, I still felt that way," she snapped before placing her hands to her stomach and forcing him to look at her. "But our lives have changed and I have changed! You cannot live in the past-"

He scoffed and shook his head, looking away from her, "How strange it is to hear that sentiment coming from you? You, who spent two years grieving for a baby that was not, who spent anniversaries of his death curled up in a ball, so deep in your depression you could not move. How dare you tell me not to live in the past?"

Maia threw him into the nearest wall and pinned her arm against his throat, holding up a dangerously clawed hand. "I will tell you once, brother, that if you ever discuss my son in such a manner again: I will kill you. I will behead you, I will dismember you and I will gladly devour you for that. I told you several times since that night that loving you was not above me, that it was not an impossible feat. And I have also told you that if things were different that you would be the one by my side. But they are not different: things are the way they are for a reason, Deucalion and I will not tempt my own misery by allowing myself to hold on to what I cannot have!" He grabbed her face and shook her lightly, looking down at her. "I have you- I will always have you Maia. And I will have this longing, this burning jealously, this overbearing protectiveness, this raging anger inside of me as long as I am bonded to you! I may not be your mate, but I am bonded to you and you to me through the lines of this pack. That will not change, no matter how much time passes," he bellowed, hearing the door of the wine cellar open.

They both turned to look as Derek stood at the top of the stairs, his hands balled into tight fists at his sides. Maia was breathing hard, her vision blurring with unshed tears as her hands held Deucalion's fingers to her face.

Her mate looked at them both, the look in his eyes letting Maia know that he had heard everything that had been said between them, "Dinner is ready." Deucalion let go of Maia's face and took a step back, trying to clear his head. He then snatched a bottle of wine off the nearest rack, starting up the stairs with a hand rubbing his jaw.

"I think I'll be drinking dinner tonight…"

Derek stopped her as she met him at the landing, his eyes searching hers carefully before he looked her over to make sure she was alright. When she saw that he was satisfied, she laced a tight arm around her neck and stroked the hair at his nape, sighing quietly. "You're mad baby," Maia stated matter-of-factly, her mate taking her hand in his and bringing it to his mouth to kiss her fingers.

"Furious, actually: he took a three-hundred dollar bottle of Merlot."

"I need to go eat before the demon spawn decides to rip open my insides," she said, leading him back into the dining room. The others were already there, Deucalion's empty seat a painful reminder to Maia of how badly their relationship had soured.

Still, she put on a smile and sat down, Derek pouring her a glass of water.

Kali looked at the twins before clearing her throat, Maia looking at her, "What? Why do the three of you keep looking at each other like that?"

"Well, Aiden and Ethan came to me in order to broach the topic of this upcoming school year."

The Alphamega was still confused, turning to the youngest Alphas in the pack. "What about this upcoming school year? You want to enroll at Beacon Hills High?" Aiden nodded and looked to his brother, leaning back in his chair. "There's nothing else to do in this town when you look as young as we do and have to flash an ID that clearly shows we're underage: besides, we need to keep up with appearances. Its strange to have two seventeen year olds running around without any parental guidance and not a care in the world," the young wolf said, Ethan agreeing with him quietly.

"Wait, seventeen? I knew you were young but not that young," Derek replied, Kali and Maia grinning at him. "You think you're surprised, brother? Imagine the three of us- Maia, Deucalion and myself- stumbling into their territory to find out these two pups were the Alphas we were tracking," the female said, reaching over to pat Maia's knee. She laughed quietly and sipped on her water, remembering how drastically pack life changed after that.

"How does sophomore year sound? I'll… adjust your birthday to make it seem like you just missed the cutoff for the previous class and you'll evade some good suspicion that way. You'll also get to start looking at new prospects and keeping an eye on our younger pack members," Maia said as she adjusted herself in her seat, running her hands over her stomach.

Ennis looked at her, speaking quietly, "And our very youngest?"

She smiled at how startled the others were anytime he spoke, seeing Derek's eyes narrow slightly.

"Two of our retirees, Ana and Karen, have offered to take care of them. The pack's children are in good hands, brother."

Derek put down his fork and looked at Ennis, shaking his head. "This is weird, having you sitting here with us and being… human," he said, the others chuckling. Even the larger male cracked a smile and nodded, looking at Maia. "Before all of this, I lived a normal life, working a nine-to-five job I hated and with a wife that had two children in the course of our marriage that were not my own. Being a wolf gave me the release I needed, the life that I wanted: freedom. You can understand my not wanting to go back to the way things were, can you not," Ennis questioned, seeing the small woman beside Derek fold her legs up underneath her as she looked at him fondly.

"So I'll get your documentation ready, boys and put Kali down as your guardian. It shouldn't be difficult for you two to get back into your schooling. In the meantime Kali, I need you to start getting everyone integrated in society: I want the pack to be in Beacon Hills as new citizens and neighbors by the end of this year. We'll move slow, keep the attention away from ourselves until it is time to reveal our presence to the others of our kind. This town is going to be a mecca for wolves, and they're going to help build our power as the Alpha pack. I can't wait for the day that there are no more fucking hunters, no more scaly creatures, no more… hiding," Maia said hopefully, the others agreeing with her silently.

"And myself?"

She turned to look at her husband, a rueful smile on her face, "You have the most daunting task of all, sweetheart. Its not a secret to anyone that I'm back in town, that I'm back with you but unfortunately, I didn't expect the response that I would get from my parents."

He blanched, settling back in his chair and folding his arms across his chest. "They're coming, aren't they," Derek asked through his teeth, seeing the sentiment echoed in her eyes.

"Day after the full moon."

Derek reached out for the bottle of wine, filling his glass until it was threatening to run over, "And on that note, I need a drink…"


	3. Chapter 3

Derek woke up before she did, his head jerking up as the sound of crunching leaves reached him.

"Hey, calm down there big wolf," Isaac said, holding his hands up to show him he was not a threat. He was already dressed even with how early it was in the morning, a book bag slung over his left shoulder as he held a tray of coffees with a bag of what smelled like pastries. "Erica and I made a food run- I brought you back some donuts and a cinnamon roll for Maia. Your clothes are in this backpack."

The Alpha male sat up and groaned as he stretched his sore muscles, taking a black coffee from Isaac. "What time is it," Derek questioned, moving to stroke Maia's hair before chugging the drink.

"About seven. We should get back to the house before the in-laws get there."

"Shit…"

Isaac set down the bag and looked at Maia before walking off back through the woods to where the truck was, Derek leaning down to brush his lips against his wife's ear. "Honey," he murmured, feeling her stir as she lengthened her body underneath him. "What? Let me sleep…" Derek sighed and looked at her naked form, seeing how she curled around her belly. "I wish I could but we have to get back to the house and get things ready for your parents. Come on babe, time to get up."

Maia was decidedly irritable when she finally roused, Derek helping her to her feet before pulling one of his tee shirts over her head. He looked down at her and kissed her forehead, remembering the events of last night fondly.

"I would carry you, but my back still hurts- you dug your claws in to the bone, Mai."

She took his hand and she fluffed her hair over her shoulder, walking towards the campgrounds they had left previously in order to shift and phase away from prying eyes. "Don't I always," she asked with a smirk, leaning against his shoulders.

"Unfortunately," Derek said, sighing contentedly. "You do."

* * *

Maia smoothed down her hair as she stood in front of her mirror, letting out a quiet exhale. She could feel her nerves mounting the closer the arrival of her parents got, knowing that her house was about to be full of tension for the next few days.

"Derek, please decided on a shirt and come on-"

She turned to see him in a soft cotton tee shirt, the gray material stretching tightly over his arms, "Yeah, not that shirt."

"I like this shirt," Derek replied flatly, tightening his belt around his hips. Maia kept her eyes on him trying not to salivate at the look of him. "So do I which is why you can't wear it. That shirt is the reason I ended up pregnant, remember?"

"No, that red dress you wore to that charity gala or whatever is how you ended up pregnant. I'm wearing the shirt."

Erica knocked on the door before stepping into the room and twirling in a floral sundress, waiting for her approval. "Very nice- are the others dressed yet," Maia asked, smoothing down her own mint tank top over olive skinny jeans. Her fledgling nodded and the young woman braced her hands against the small of her back, looking out of the window.

"Then we might as well get on with it then: they're almost here…"

The family moved downstairs, the teens congregating in the kitchen as Maia moved to tidy up the house. "Maia, sit down. You've cleaned the house top to bottom three times- its not gonna get any cleaner," Derek said as he sat down on the couch, propping his feet up on the table. He reached over for the bottle of gin that sat on the end table, pouring himself a glass and knocking it back. "Have a taste and cap the booze before my mom walks in, will you?" They all turned to stare at the door as the gates at the end of the drive opened, hearing the car coming up to the house slowly as to give them time to prepare themselves. "They're here- Derek."

He put the top on the gin and threw his hands up in the air, settling back into his seat, "Its fucking done, just open the goddamn door."

She flung open the door before they had a chance to knock, throwing her arms around her father's neck, "Dad!" Maia was grinning from ear to ear as he kissed her forehead before stepping back, her mother moving to touch her stomach. "Oh honey, you are bumping along nice, aren't you? I've missed you so much," the older woman said, smiling at the daughter who was her spitting image.

"Come in, come in: Ennis will grab your bags," Maia said, stepping aside to let them in.

Her parents looked around the house, seeming impressed by what they saw, her mother turning to look at her daughter again. "Speaking of your driver, he's a man of very few words, isn't he?" Her daughter smiled and nodded, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ears, "Yes, but he is more astute than most."

Derek looked up as her parents moved into the living room, standing from his seat and putting down his glass. "Henrik, Olivia, its so nice to see you," he said cordially, seeing her eyes drift towards the glass on the coffee table. "Drinking so early in the day, Derek?" He chuckled humorlessly, seeing her father's eyes narrow, "Unfortunately, you drive me to it Liv."

"Hey, let me introduce you to the kids," Maia said, stepping in between the three of them. Her father looked towards the kitchen where he could hear them, seeming to acknowledge them for the first time. "Yes, you did mention your foster children." She steered them towards the kitchen before throwing a glare towards her husband, whispering furiously for him to be quiet as he attempted to defend his comment.

Isaac looked at Maia as she walked into the room, unable to keep his eyes from roving over her. Erica was leaning against Boyd, standing beside his stool with her arm around her waist. They all looked at her parents, taking in the strangers for the first time.

Her mother was petite, but with a powerful presence that rivaled Maia's own, not looking that much older than her. Olivia had perfectly coiffed, shiny black hair that framed her face, hazel eyes careful and guarded. Her dark skin was highlighted by her pink top and cream cardigan, the nude heels peeking out from her wide-leg flares looking more expensive than anything either Erica or Maia owned. Henrik was a tall and elegant looking bearded man, his salt and peppered hair tousled artfully. He too was well dressed, his light blue button down and jeans combo seeming to be of designer origins.

"Mom, dad, these are the newest members to our little family: I'd like you to meet Boyd, Erica and Isaac. Kids, met my parents, Henrik and Olivia Wyndham," Maia said, introducing them to each other and smiling as the young wolves moved forward to greet their pseudo-grandparents.

"So you're all foster children?"

Maia cleared her throat and looked at her mother, "Mom, I don't think-"

"My dad's dead," Isaac replied bluntly, Olivia seeming startled. "He was murdered by a kid we went to school with- he's dead too. But Boyd and Erica just ran away from home, bad seeds those two."

There was a quiet moment of discomfort before Henrik cleared his throat and looked at everyone, "So how does lunch sound?"

The family took the Wyndham's to the most upscale restaurant Beacon Hills had to offer, the staff there going out of their way to accommodate the Mayor.

Maia and Derek sat close together, the female sitting between her husband and Isaac as her parents sat across from her. "So," Olivia said after she put down her menu, folding her hands before her. "I would like to be the first to say congratulations on how well you have done for yourself. After the events of the last three years, I'm proud that you have gotten things back on track with your career and your marriage and the baby. Though, I am confused as to how you've done so- and done so this quickly- especially when you up and disappeared for eight months after you decided you were divorcing Derek-" Maia cleared her throat and looked at her mother, eyes narrowed, "Well, after the miscarriage, I needed time and my space. That is when I made that… immature admission to you that my mind was on leaving him. Obviously, however, that is not the case."

"I believe what your mother is attempting to say, is that you have grown up a lot and we are glad things are looking up," Henrik replied with a forced smile, pouring himself a glass of wine.

Isaac watched how tense Maia had gotten, reaching out underneath the table to press his hand against hers. She visibly relaxed, letting out a quiet breath before tucking her hair behind her ears again. "So what are you doing now, Derek? Maia said that you were working with troubled youth here in town," her father asked, the young man chuckling once at her ingenuity. "Yes, that's right. Just mentoring and helping them through the changes that life is throwing at them- I mean, it's a very… rewarding position to be in. It affords for a relatively comfortable life," Derek replied as he skimmed the truth, the young wolves trying not to laugh at how well he lied.

"We're very happy," Maia said before switching over to her father's native German tongue. "Even if others in our life don't feel the same way for us. What is your wife's problem?"

Henrik sighed and knew that the others could not understand him, Olivia never having wanted to learn German, "She worries about you Maia, and you know that. And after what you put us through with your disappearance, she has the right to be worried. You are the only surviving child we have-"

"She has. The only surviving child my mother has, you meant to say."

Maia set her jaw as he went silent, moving to rest her hand on her stomach- she was sure that one day soon she would have bruises if the kicking continued like this. "Regardless of the past dad, I am happy and I am with Derek and I plan on keeping it that way. Can you respect that," she questioned, still speaking so that the others were in the dark about what she was saying.

"If you believe it to be best."

"Now if we can get back to polite conversation, how was your stay in Mexico? I'm sure that everyone here is interested in hearing about it…"

Maia saw the look in her husband's eyes and her hands flew to her stomach, everyone around the table alarmed by how she came up out of her seat quickly. "Ooh! Well… well that was one hell of a kick. I think I need some air-" Derek stood as she did, pressing one of his hands to the small of her back and the other to her stomach. They moved outside where Maia let out a breath and flipped her hair, flashing her husband a smile. "Thank God I got you out of there: you were looking at my mom like she was going to be your next meal," the young woman said, Derek glaring at her.

"I thought that something was actually wrong," he replied almost angrily, reaching out to place his hand back on her rounding stomach. "Try not to scare me again… but thanks for getting me away from your mother."

They shared a laugh and Maia leaned into his side, her head on his shoulder, "She really is awful, isn't she?"

"You're just like her."

"Oh God have mercy on us all!"


	4. Chapter 4

Maia poured herself a cup of tea as the rest of the house slept, moving around the kitchen in a graceful fashion. "All that I am saying Derek is that from what they're plans are, we can't continue to lie. Having grandma and grandpa living in Beacon Hills is not going to be easy when they think we're normal. How are we going to explain why they can't see us a week out of every month, because we're going crazy with the lunar cycle? What happens when they go to cuddle one of the kids running around here and they get a finger bitten off, or a cheek clawed? And how do we explain our glowing eyes, or our nails, or those uncontrollable growls or barks we let out when we're pissed- which is often! I'm a good liar and all, but that is one crazy huge web of lies I won't be able to handle," she hissed as she cleaned up for the night and moved to sit with her husband in the living room. Maia pulled her robe tighter around her before sitting down, seeing him glaring at her. "We keep this a secret for a reason: to keep people safe. Now, I haven't liked your parents since after Joshua died but I'd rather not have two innocent lives on my conscious just because they got pulled into a shit storm that they have no part in." She sighed then at his melodramatic words, sipping at her tea and gesturing with her free hand to the world around them. "Babe, do you see a shit storm brewing," Maia questioned sarcastically, setting her cup down and folding her arms across her chest.

He looked at her and raised his glass, narrowing his eyes slightly, "This is Beacon fucking Hills, you're a supernatural creature and your last name is Hale. Perfect recipe for an inevitable shit storm."

"Then that's even more incentive to tell them, to give them the chance to decide whether or not they want part of this life… our lives. Besides Der, there's this rift between us now that wasn't there before we were together and just after we got married, and its not because of our son. Not because of how losing him changed them or you… but because of how it changed me. My family hasn't been right since I became a wolf, because of what lengths I had to go to keep it all a secret. They deserve to know how their daughter is- if the situation was turned and our daughter lost a child, became a werewolf and ran off conquering the monsters in the woods, I would sure as hell want to know about it," Maia said, tucking her hair behind her ear as he contemplated that. He then sighed and ran a hand back over his head, looking at her evenly. "Would you Maia? Would you really want to know that the baby you raised, cared for, fed and clothed, loved, defended… and held, wasn't even the same species as you anymore? The reason most wolves leave their families is because the people they loved most turned on them, due to all of the changes and the struggle to keep humanity and lycanthropy on separate but equal-"

"And therein lies the problem: separate but equal. You know as well as I do that there is no separating who you are and what you are- you could no faster separate Derek Hale from werewolf, you pureblooded asshole of an Alpha male. Why should I do the same?"

Derek stood, draining his glass and sighing, shaking his head.

"You're not telling your parents because I said so," he replied as he attempted to put an end to the conversation by walking into the kitchen. "And who are you to tell me anything?" He retreated from the other room and turned to look over his shoulder at his wife, showing a flash of teeth, "Do not push me. Regardless of your pack position, I'm an Alpha male, you're my mate and you're carrying very precious cargo. So you'll do as I say and avoid getting a set of teeth dug in your ass cheek."

"Maybe," Maia said, standing and meeting his gaze. "I like getting a set of teeth dug in my ass cheek."

She moved to brush past him, pressing her teacup against his chest and smirking. Derek watched as she started up the stairs, baring his teeth and growling deeply. "Shower in five," he asked, hearing her chuckle quietly.

"Already on my way, babe."

* * *

"Well, I was thinking 'stil de grain yellow', but Derek is all for this shade of blue called 'Alice'. It's nice and pale, not too overwhelming or overtly masculine. But I'm all for unisex colors: that way when the next baby comes along, we won't have to paint the room over and over," Maia said as she held paint chips up to the wall for her mother to see. Olivia looked at the wall before sighing and looking at her daughter, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ears, "I never thought that we would be doing this again, not after the first time."

Maia chuckled almost sadly, shaking her head and cradling her stomach protectively. She rested her weight on one leg before looking away from her mother, staring down at the floor. "To be honest with you, up until after I got back with Derek, I felt the same way. I didn't want to have another baby or be a mom, and then I realized that while a lot of things had changed, the desire to be a mother had not. The desire to be a family with Derek hadn't changed or gone away either- if anything, it got… much stronger. Hence the growing belly and the plan to have a few more after and the ones we already have running around like a bunch of animals," the young woman said, smiling before leading her mother out of the room.

"You know, I've noticed how those three kids follow you around like puppies. They hang upon your every word and they don't do anything unless you say so. Must be the most well behaved teenagers I've ever met," Olivia smiled as they walked into the kitchen and sat down to wait for the others to come back from the morning's lacrosse tryouts.

"Well, they're only on their best behaviors because you and dad are here, and Derek threatened to disembowel them with his teeth. They can be a handful at times, but other than that, they really are good kids. Love them like they're my own."

The younger woman pulled out several cases of steak from the freezer to thaw for dinner, pausing as she felt her mother's eyes on her back, "So, are we… having guests or are those all for us?" Maia sat the boxes down beside the sink and smiled, looking back at her mother. "I've got a house of growing boys to feed, ma. Besides, you better get used to this when we start having Sunday dinners at your place."

"So now we're having dinners after you spent this entire morning trying to convince me not to move back," the older woman asked as she crossed her arms on the breakfast bar to look at Maia. She moved to pour herself a glass of water before sighing, shaking out the prenatal vitamins Deaton had somehow managed to provide her with. "Look mom, I'm just saying you should reconsider the mundane life of living here. I mean travelling abroad is something I've always wanted to do myself-" Olivia cocked her head at Maia, knowing that she was hiding something, "Then you go do it. You're having some mixed feelings about this whole thing, aren't you? That's the only thing I can think of as to why you would keep trying to discourage me from moving home. You know I'm doing it to be with you, Maia- to be with my family. Besides, you're going to need to learn about raising kids from the woman who raised you."

Olivia then leaned over the bar and looked at Maia, her eyes narrowed, "And as the woman who raised you, I want to ask what exactly you're keeping from me."

"Nothing."

The older woman scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest now, her dark hair falling over one shoulder. "You know, you learned how to lie from your father: too bad he's absolute shit at it. You think I haven't noticed you and Derek whispering to each other every time you think Henrik and I aren't looking? Or the three other ones running around here, asking you if its okay to do this or that with us around? What is it Maia, you smoke a little reefer every once in awhile? Or you kill people on the weekends? Ooh, or you're having an affair and you don't want it to get out! Seriously Mai, there is nothing you can say to keep me from being the most overbearing, completely controlling grandmother I can be…"

Maia cast a rueful glance outside, knowing that what she was about to do was going to piss Derek off whenever he showed up.

"Mom, what if I told you that there were things about me that I've been keeping a secret?"

The gates opened as the truck started up the driveway, Maia clearing her throat before letting out a sharp breath. "Well, if I don't do it now, you'll probably never know…" Maia started taking off her clothes, ignoring her mother's protests.

"Mai, what the hell are you doing?"

"Mom, just be quiet and look at me," Maia snapped as she heard the car doors open outside. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, feeling her wolf rearing up inside of her. Her muscles began to rip and lengthen as they healed almost instantly, Maia unable to keep the painful snarl from slipping past her lips. The short, piercing scream her mother let out seemed almost silent as she fell onto all fours, turning her blinding white eyes towards her. Olivia jumped up and ran to the front door, flinging it open to see Derek standing there with his hand tightly around Henrik's bicep.

He growled at Maia as she came around the corner, Olivia turning around to look at the massive wolf before fainting in the foyer.

"Nice job, Maia."

She phased back and sighed, looking down at her mother, "Oops- guess I let the wolf out of the bag."


	5. Chapter 5

He knew that their hand had been forced with Maia revealing herself without having a concrete plan first- and they should have had a plan in case of an accident where their true nature would be exposed, even despite Derek not wanting them to know in the first place.

"Babe."

Maia looked at her husband anxiously, momentarily distracted from his cold eyes by her father moving to cradle his wife. She was worried that he would finally be fed up with her insistent nature this time and snap with his instinct to assert his dominance, an act that could possibly end in the double murder of both Wyndhams.

However, he didn't move other than to ball his hands into fists, his eyes glowing red as he finally dropped the human charade with Maia's parents. "You are the most hardheaded woman I have ever fucking met. I should tear your throat out for this," Derek snarled, motioning to where Olivia and Henrik were on the floor. She found herself cowering underneath his gaze, slipping her arms into the robe that Erica brought her and taking a step back to put space between herself and the Alpha male. "But out of sheer respect to the breeders who put you in the world- and I do thank you for that, Henrik, despite my anger- I'm going to watch and wait and see you try your damnedest to keep them alive. Because if I have one iota that either of them are going to utter a word of what you're about to explain, I'll kill them both in front of you."

"Okay," she whispered without any argument, kneeling down to face her father and her still-unconscious mother. His eyes flickered to hers for the fraction of the second before his heartbeat quickened, Henrik starting to stand steadily. "I suppose I should get her to the couch and wake her…" Maia unceremoniously bent down and lifted Olivia into her arms with ease, leading the way into the living room.

Boyd and Erica sat down on either side of the couple, seemingly relaxed even in the tension filled room. Maia perched herself on the edge of the recliner's seat, her legs crossed femininely as Isaac moved to lean against the abandoned arm. The Alpha male was the only one still on his feet by then, sulking quietly in a corner as he listened to her speak.

"Dad, I need you to bring her around. I have to talk to both of you- preferably now," Maia said flatly, not looking at anyone in particular. Henrik, however, was practically glaring at his daughter, his voice bitter, "I'm trying to reconcile what I think I saw and heard right now with what I know is true and right in this world. And I'm wondering if this is all a sick little joke and you need a better outlet for your humor, or if you are all as sadistic as you seem."

"That's neither here nor there when it comes to the missus. Wake her up Henrik."

It was quiet as he began patting his wife's face gently, an awkward silence settling over them all as they waited. Olivia groaned after a few moments, reaching up to push his hand away as she moved to raise herself out of her lap. "Henrik, what the hell happened? Did I fall?" Erica looked up from her phone and glanced at the older woman out of the corner of her eye, smirking, "Technically."

When Olivia's eyes turned on her daughter, her memory came flooding back and she yelped, cringing away from where Maia sat. The younger woman only smiled grimly and adjusted herself in her seat, preparing to explain herself.

"Mom, I'm sorry that I… did that in front of you, but to avoid possible complications, I had to. Since you've been here, all that you have talked about is your happiness over being a grandmother. And yet, due to the lies and secrecy that comes with living the life that I do, I knew that unless I came clean with you- with both of you- it wouldn't have worked. I had to make it work, for all of our sakes and in this situation, especially yours; mom, you haven't been happy since Alexa died," she murmured, her eyes on Olivia's face as she watched all of the color leave her. Henrik looked visibly upset as well, going slightly rigid in his seat as he looked down at his clasped hands. "This isn't about her," Olivia whispered, her eyes reddening as tears began to well up in her eyes. Maia agreed and nodded her head, leaning back in her seat. "You're right, its about me."

Henrik was quick to defend her then, even though the words were her own, the man pointing an accusatory finger towards Derek, "No, this is not your fault! He did this to you!"

"In certain terms, that's true… but the woman you see sitting before you I created out of blood and toil, tears and sweat. My blood and that of many others, my hard work, all of my tears and my sweat," Maia replied as she set her mouth in a way that reminded Henrik of himself, her hands moving to link as she crossed her fingers. "Derek changed me yes, but I am exactly who and what I was meant to be: Maia Hale, werewolf."

Olivia pressed her fingers to her lips as she pondered her daughter's words, the woman exhaling before shaking her head. "That's not true- it can't be, Maia. I gave birth to you, you came from my body and I am most certainly not a werewolf! Werewolves don't... exist!" Maia sighed and moved to show her triskelion tattoo, brushing her fingers over the ink, "When Derek first explained to me the meaning behind his tattoo, I did not get it for him but for you. Mother, father, child: me. And my reason behind this tattoo upon my flesh still holds true, despite what I am. I may not exactly be human anymore, but I am your daughter. No matter what… right?" She didn't get a response from either of her parents whether or not they felt as she did, her father instead looking at her timidly and swallowing. "I'm not sure of how to ask about your… lifestyle or how it has changed you-" Isaac chuckled humorlessly as Maia cleared her throat, knowing all too well that she couldn't explain it in something as simple as words.

"Being a wolf is… highly sensory in nature. We can hear, smell, see, feel, taste everything- and I mean everything from listening to the highway from here to knowing that you're afraid of me from the scent of adrenaline rushing through you. And as you have seen, I can turn into a wolf at will… but with every good thing, there are drawbacks," Maia said as she tried to verbalize everything that being a wolf encompassed, running her fingers back through her hair. "Namely, the first is the moon. That's a bitch and a half to go through, especially now that I'm pregnant… but mom, dad, believe me when I say that the immense pain that phasing like that is completely and utterly worth it. You once told me have a dream and to become the greatest woman I could be, to do something with my life to made me feel complete-"

"And so sacrificing your humanity is what you decided to do," Olivia asked shrilly, looking at her only child in disbelief.

Maia couldn't help the growl that escaped her, narrowing her eyes before reining in her wolf, Isaac helping her with her control by reaching out to rest his hand on her shoulder. "No, becoming an Alpha is what I decided to do. I am not like anything you have ever seen or imagined," the woman said through her teeth, closing her eyes and trying to keep herself from losing her tenuous hold on control. However, it didn't seem to be working well, the woman trying to keep her face hidden as her mother began to question the others. "What's happening to my baby? Is she dying? One of you has to help her-"

"You might as well show her your face, dear. Its not like she doesn't know," Derek said scathingly, moving to jerk her head up by her hair. Both of the humans recoiled in fear of the exaggerated yet still-familiar features there, Henrik looking at his son-in-law angrily. "Don't you manhandle my daughter like that!"

Maia pulled away from Derek and while seething, managed to phase back, panting as she glared at her husband. "Another one of those drawbacks I mentioned earlier: uncontrollable and sometimes murderous bouts of rage. Wolves are very proud creatures and while none take lightly to being pushed around, disrespected or challenged… mine is much more adamant about her position in our pack," she replied forcefully, making sure to show her husband exactly how she felt about his current attitude.

"How many years has this been a secret," the oldest woman in the room questioned, the deep crease in her eyebrows for once showing her age. Derek watched his wife fidget uncomfortably for a few moments before she answered her mother, her voice barely above a whisper, "For me, it's just been three: since after the baby died. For Derek… we've been keeping his secret since his family was killed in the fire. He was born into this life."

"Jesus."

Henrik just stared unnervingly at both Maia and Derek, everyone in the room feeling the building tension about to burst as the vein in his neck began to pulse- all of the werewolves couldn't ignore the sound of blood rushing through him like a runaway freight train. However, for him it wasn't simple disbelief anymore: it had grown into an ethical problem for him to solve. "Why," he asked quietly after more than a minute of silence had passed.

"Because she would be dead had I not bit her and I'm a selfish son of a bitch- admittedly," Derek replied honestly, his arms once more folded across his chest. The quizzical looks her parents shared reminded the couple that they had not been truthful about her near-death experience, Maia sighing heavily as she launched into the entire tale of her past.

After three years' worth of truth had finally come out, both Wyndhams looked ill, Henrik's face drawn and lined as Olivia just kept shaking her head and whispering words of denial to herself. Maia had one knee drawn up to her chest, the young woman chewing on her bottom lip quietly before standing.

"I know that this is a lot to take in and that it doesn't seem real, but I have to show you everything. You have to be completely aware and hopefully, accepting of the life you're becoming a part of-"

"Or I have to kill you," Derek said bluntly, both of his in-laws looking at him, wide-eyed and in shock.

Maia touched Isaac's cheek in thanks for helping herbefore meeting the rest of her pack's eyes, jerking her chin towards the stairs, "I need all of you to go change for training. Erica, give Kali a call and tell her that we are coming. I want everyone waiting for us in the backyard when we get there."

She left and Derek sat down, his eyes shifting back and forth between Henrik and Olivia. Maia's mother spoke first, her voice meek and timid as she attempted to move as far back from his presence as she could. "Why? What did we ever do to you? Why all of the threats, Derek- we considered you family," she whispered, Henrik moving towards her and pressing into her side. The younger man only sighed and shook his head, his mouth set in a hard fashion. "I did it because I loved her. I wasn't strong enough all those years ago to protect her and so I made her just as strong as me to make sure that she could protect herself in the event of my failure to do so. And I have to threaten you so that I can make sure that she is okay. The hunters in our story no longer partake in the blood sport of killing our kind, but there are others out there… and if they knew about Maia- about how powerful she is and what she is capable of- they would kill her. I can't live as I need to for my wife and family when I'm worrying about the secret getting out because of someone who can't keep their mouth closed. This isn't some children's story: this is our reality. These are our lives." Henrik moved to cradle his wife against his chest as she began to cry, moving to smooth her hair down, "We are the only ones who know the truth about you, aren't we?"

"No, there are others but they have familial ties to the pack and they would not put any of us in harm's way. They know that they risk losing someone they love to either an arrow or our own pack vengeance in the case of a pack mate going against us," Derek murmured, thinking of how Scott's own situation with his mother mirrored in Maia's. Olivia pressed her fingers to her lips and shook her head, looking up at her husband. "Henrik, I want our daughter back. This is not right- we have to try and talk some sense into her-"

The Alpha male scoffed and looked away from them, sighing, "If only it were that easy. I tried to push her away after the first time she saw me lose control, if not to spare her the burden of loving something… like me and to keep her safe as well. But I couldn't resist my wolf; even the first time I saw her, I knew that from that day forward I couldn't not be with her. She is my mate and always has been, something that was just strengthened from when she was human to when she became a wolf. I love her."

"And I love you," Maia said as she spoke up from the doorway, having heard Derek's words. She was dressed in an oversized tee shirt and unzipped hoodie paired with leggings and tennis shoes, her hair piled on the top of her head in a bun. "It's something that you could never understand not being one of us. It's the most powerful, important thing that I have ever felt and the one thing that I can't live without. Derek has to be thankful for that, or else his constant agonizing with me would have cost him his life a long time ago. Come on, we have to leave. They are waiting for us."

"Who is waiting for us?"

The younger woman smiled and turned her back on them, her hands on her belly, "You will see. And you will be amazed…"

* * *

Derek came around the front of the truck to get Maia from the car, allowing her to use him to brace herself to get back on her feet. Just since the full moon she had been growing impressively and even with her preternatural advantages, she was still experiencing all of the normal pregnancy issues that a human would.

"God, I feel so heavy," she bemoaned as she walked towards the door, her husband not giving his actions another thought when he stepped forward and scooped her up in his arms, carrying her to the house. She was so used to his overprotectiveness she didn't even protest, rolling her eyes as Kali flung open the door.

The female Alpha took one look at the couple being accompanied by the younger wolves and shook her head, looking at Maia, "You sure you wanna open this bag of snakes?"

"Oh, they already know. They just need to see us and you and everything that we have here. Like it or not, this is the world they're going to live in and they have to be conscious of it," Maia replied, regaining her feet when Derek finally let her down on the back porch.

He kissed her forehead and she looked up at him, sighing. "I want you to take my dad and go talk to him, man to man. Discuss what we're doing and all the intricacies of it- make him want to see more. If you appeal to his intrigue, he's more likely to accept this," she said as she gestured to the assembled pack. They sat on the edge of the porch and on the grass around the slightly depressed area where they would fight and train, waiting for Maia's word to begin with the day's festivities. "And you?" Maia looked past him to where her parents were coming through the door way, "I'll deal with her."

Olivia sat down beside her daughter on the porch swing, uncomfortable as everyone moved to look at them. Maia reached out and patted her hand before standing, taking off her light jacket and smiling. "As you have all seen, we are not alone today. Due to certain… practicalities on my part, my parents have been introduced to the darker side of the world and I think they're ready to see what our kind is capable of. Now while I ask that you all be yourselves, I'm also asking you to be polite. That means a reasonable amount of bloodshed- and yes, I am talking to you Aiden- and no challenging of positions. We don't need that kind of battle with the newbies: so play nice and let's show what wolves- and Alphas- are made of," she said, receiving an enthusiastic chorus of howling and barking.

She returned to her mother's side as Ennis stepped into the ring with both Aiden and Ethan, the twins looking at each other almost mischeviously as they considered breaking the rules. "Remember what I said," Maia snapped at the two of them- knowing their thoughts exactly- hearing a chuckle before the three men began to fight.

Instead of keeping an eye on them, her gaze was fixed on her mother's face, taking in ever wince and flinch as the older woman tried to watch the fight. Olivia turned away once Ennis had clamped his hands around both of the twins' necks, Ethan roaring in defeat. "I can't imagine you doing something like that and watching them scares me," she admitted, sounding unsure of Maia's reaction. She only smiled and stood once more, shaking her head, "I'm tougher than I look. And though I will always be your baby, I'm not a kid anymore: I can hold my own quite well. Actually, I'm going to show you."

Derek looked up as Maia moved to stand in the circle, the Alphamega spreading her arms in challenge.

"Who's it going to be, huh? I'm ready to fight- who will join me here in this ring," Maia questioned, a smile on her face. The others knew that no one other than an Alpha could hold their own against her, the young woman turning to look at Kali, Ennis, Ethan, Aiden and Derek before cutting her eyes to the female Alpha. "Where in the hell is Deucalion?"

"I'm right here sweetheart," his voice came, everyone looking up to see him perched in a tree. The Alpha jumped to land on his feet, standing before Maia, "And I'll fight you. That is, of course, you are up to it."

Derek moved towards Maia, a grisly snarl emanating from his chest as he came to a full stop at his wife's side. "Take a walk Deucalion: I know you're itching for a fight… but not a completely harmless one. Don't do this in front of her parents," the slightly shorter Alpha male growling quietly to keep from alarming anyone. The older Alpha male snarled in reply but conceded, moving to climb back up the tree he had come from. "Fine, but we have unfinished business Alpha. You took my position in this fight and I want an even, fair fight with you. Just you."

"Time and place, Duke, that's all I need."

He turned on Maia then, seeing his pregnant wife stroking her belly and sighing. "You ready, love," she asked, moving to face him fully. Derek nodded and she did not hesitate to level him with a powerful right hook, the Alpha male allowing himself to be rough handled for a few moments. It wasn't until Maia moved to dropkick him that he finally responded, moving to catch her leg underneath his arm. She only arched her body backwards and lifted her other leg to kick him underneath the chin, falling into an impressive backhand spring.

Derek charged at her then, the Alphamega catching him around the neck as he attempted to drop her to the ground. She thought that she had her chokehold in before finding herself on her back, Derek's wolf standing over her almost menacingly. Maia only planted her feet firmly underneath his ribcage and dug her nails into his shoulders, moving to flip him over her head. He yelped from the massive power moving like a shockwave through his body, coming fast to face with the nightmare wolf.

They fought and allowed themselves to work out a bit of their anger from the day's earlier conflict, but Maia knew that it was harmless. Hell, fighting physically was probably one of the good things that had happened to their marriage- it gave them an outlet for their frustrations that was both fair and necessary, as it let them avoid forming too many grudges and resenting each other.

However, the fight was over when Maia phased back as Derek lunged at her, the woman bracing both feet against the hard-packed ground and roaring impressively. She only smacked him on his nose, the small gesture making Derek stop in his tracks in shock that she would pull out an actual dog training technique on him. The others roared with laughter as he moved to sit on his haunches, Maia grinning as she stood on the tips of her toes to wrap her arms around his neck and kissed the side of his muzzle. She was practically purring against his fur, reaching up to scratch behind his ear before moving to where Kali was waiting.

Maia changed into a simple track suit and rejoined her mother, breathing quickly from the exertion. The two women were silent as she tried to regain her composure, Maia's hands on her stomach as it settled from where some pretty impressive kicks had accompanied hers and Derek's friendly tussle.

"So what do you think?"

Olivia seemed disturbed just hearing the question, but answered it, refusing to look at her daughter. "Well, it wasn't as hard to watch as I first believed and you can hold your own. So I guess that I should feel… better about it then," she replied, Maia reaching out to take her hand and hold it firmly within her own. The older woman turned then and sighed, her eyes beginning to water once more. "You don't have to feel anything, mom. This is… big and I know how difficult it is to come to terms with. Der and I went through our own rough patch for a few weeks after the fire, but we worked it out. I stayed with him because I loved him and because I knew that without him, I would never be whole. And if it means anything, you and dad have both handled it well so far," the younger woman said softly, reaching up to tuck her now loose hair behind her ear.

When Olivia turned her eyes to her daughter, Maia could see it in her eyes that she was at war with herself. At war over her emotions, her innate instinct for personal safety and the love of a mother- despite whatever her daughter was- went head to head. They were quiet, Maia fearful of what conclusion her mother was seeming to head towards in her own mind. She wondered if she was about to be disowned because of the complexities of her lycanthropy, unsure if her mother would reduce her from daughter, flesh and blood, to the wolf that existed within her- something that would never hurt her, despite what Olivia may have feared.

She opened her mouth for a moment before hesitiating, seeming to gather her thoughts and her composure.

"Maia…"

The emotion in her voice was painfully acute, the young woman knowing that practically no one other than Derek had the power to undo her as her mother's voice could. Olivia had been one of her own ties to humanity after he had walked away to her, the only person she had found true solace in during her darkest days.

A warm hand touched her cheek and Olivia sniffled, catching her attention- Maia's mother wasn't a woman to cry openly. Even if she lost control over her emotions for long enough to let her eyes water, she always either regained her composure or left the room to be alone. And yet, here she was, tears streaming down her face, "I knew. When you came home after the miscarriage- well, after Joshua died- you were so different. And I know you had to hold it all in, for yours and Derek's sakes both, but you should have told me."

"Do you hate me?"

"Hate... you? Despite your secrets and lying, I could never hate you- that even sounds foreign to say. I may be a little angry and a little hurt, but I'm your mother. And even with your… claws and your eyes, and the fact that you turn into a wolf, you are my daughter. I won't abandon you to become a stranger just because something has changed- I don't care what anyone or anything thinks about you. I love you," Olivia said with loving determination, her grip tight around Maia's.

Derek joined them a few moments later with Henrik, her father seeming more relaxed despite his surroundings and current situation. His eyes were apologetic- most likely for his earlier behavior and repulsion of them- the older man standing with his hands in his pockets. "So," Maia asked, looking away from her mother finally to hear her father's judgment.

"I feel like… like I have lost another child. I lost my little Mai-pie three years ago and I didn't even know it. But you're standing right in front of me and I can see you, just as if you haven't changed at all. It is a strange feeling to feel as if I don't know you," Henrik said without an ounce of vindictiveness in his voice, his gaze resting on her. Maia had to blink away a few tears before she nodded, her lips pressed into a rather thin, hard line, "I understand that, dad, but the more you open up to us and allow us to show you our true nature, the more you will find that I am still your Mai-pie and that will never change. I'm still your daughter and I still love you and mom. In time, you'll realize that being a werewolf hasn't changed that."

"And that said, I need to know if you are both prepared to keep our secret. This is the only thing that I'll ever ask of you from this day forward," Derek said, his eyes on both of her parents. Olivia nodded and Henrik did the same, exhaling quietly. "Of course. Both of you are our children and we will protect you."

Maia stood to wrap her arms around her father, mindful of her strength, but squeezing him all the same.

"You have no idea how it makes me feel to hear that. I was so afraid to think that you and mom might never want to see me again-" Olivia stood timidly and moved to join the embrace, shaking her head. "We love you too much to ever… disown you. Its going to take time and patience for us to fully accept that you're not our little girl anymore- that you're a woman now, and you're… your own person. I'd love you even if you grew another head and ran off to join a cult."

Maia laughed tearfully and gave her a grateful squeeze, Henrik moving to embrace Derek for a moment. He stepped back and the men looked at each other, Maia's father regaining his fatherly role. "You'll keep her safe- and happy, Derek. You made a commitment to her the day you married her, the day you… changed her and I expect you to take care of her," Henrik said with a tone of authority, Derek nodding.

"Always, sir."


End file.
